I've often wondered what I'd do if/when I leave VOXUS.  It never occurred to me, however, that the infinite possibilities might include developing an iPhone app.

Hillary Davis, a 16-year veteran of owning her own PR agency, was laid off last year from her then-position of VP of corporate communications at Triad Health.  Instead of spending all of her time finding a new job, she ended up creating MyTown Contacts, a 99 cent iPhone application that compiles a list of important phone numbers in case of emergency.  She got the idea for the application when she had a family emergency, but not being a software developer, she had to be creative in learning how to move forward with the concept.  She posted the job online and actually worked with a developer in China.

Check it out on iTunes -- I'm pretty impressed.  But the bar has now been set for the rest of us.

You can learn more about it here.

-posted by Rachel

Confused by the world of phone applications? Are you constantly checking to see the latest free  apps for your phone?  Well, this new list from Sascha Segan, mobile editor for PCMag.com, sheds some light on the top 100 free applications for a variety of phones. Do you agree with his assessment?  Seems a little boring and safe to me!

"The popularity of Apple's App Store vaulted mobile apps to prominence, but techies know that mobile phones have been tiny PCs for years now. The difference today is the buzz and visibility around apps. The idea that you can add to your phone's powers has gone mainstream.

With 100,000 apps, the iPhone certainly has the most apps available, but there's no lack of choice on other platforms.Google's Android phones have more than 10,000. There are thousands for BlackBerry, Windows Mobile, and Symbian phones, and a couple of hundred for the Palm Pre and Pixi. Even simple phones like the Motorola RAZR can get into the app game..."

To summarize...

iPhone:

1. AP Mobile 3.1

2. Chess With Friends

3. CNBC

4. Cube Runner

5. eBay Mobile

6. eBuddy

7. Epicurious



Blackberry:

1. AP Mobile News

2. BBNotePad

3. Bloomberg Mobile

4. Bolt

5. Facebook

6. Flashlight



Android:

1. Advanced Task Killer

2. AP Mobile

3. Astrid

4. Astro File Manager

5. Bonsai Blast





-posted by Justin

I came across this great chart that summarizes the evolution of storage.  Pretty fun to look at . How many have you worked with?  (Image courtesy of our friend in wireless, Keith Parsons.)



-posted by Justin

One of the best geeky rap spoofs I've seen in a long time. "My G4 had more ports than a wine store."


-posted by Justin

Yum, lunch time.

Robotic Technology Inc. is creating a robot that is sure to garner public support - NOT. EATR, or the Energetically Autonomous Tactical Robot project, is designed to develop and demonstrate an autonomous robotic platform able to perform long-range, long-endurance missions without the need for manual or conventional re-fueling, which would otherwise preclude the ability of the robot to perform such missions. The system obtains its energy by foraging – engaging in biologically-inspired, organism-like, energy-harvesting behavior which is the equivalent of eating. In other words, eating dead soldiers or casualties of war? WOW. They do go on to say it can ingest plants, animal matter, etc. Hopefully they'll integrate audio -- nothing like a bunch of organic matter ingesting robots roaming the planet saying "I'll be back."

For more creepy information (and a complete overview), visit the website.

I'm picturing this:



-posted by Justin

Oh, Robot Girlfriend... need I say more.





-posted by Justin

I sure am glad I'm done with college. A Japanese university is giving away Apple Inc's trendy iPhone to students for free, but with a catch: the device will be used to check their attendance. Dohhhp.



-posted by Justin

Thanks to an MSNBC story, my mind is upside down. I had no idea the state of robotics. Yes, I've read Wired stories about the advance with things like ASIMO, but had no idea these crazy models had been made. Not only are they freaky, but given the upcoming release of Terminator Salvation, I'm afraid to go in the woods or in the water now.


-posted by Justin

Frustrated with your cell phone? Then maybe you need a vacation. The New York Times travel section recently suggested you consider a visit to Punkaharju, Finland, which on August 22 will host the ninth annual Mobile Phone Throwing World Championships.



You can compete in the over-the-shoulder throw (where contestants are judged on distance) or the freestyle throw (where points are given for choreography and aesthetics). According to the New York Times, the contest was created in 2000 to provide mobile phone users with a cathartic way to express their frustrations with dropped calls and dead batteries. Note, you are not allowed to use your phones, one is provided by the competition's governing body.

The all-time record long throw at the contest according to the event's web site was 94.97 meters or approximately 312 feet. First prize is what else but a new cellphone (no word on what kind).

For those of who aren't satisfied with just a picture and some links, you can check out a video of the 2005 competition here.

-posted by Andrew

In my... weekly ode... to... Star Trek.. I must... focus on... an injustice. Okay, I'll stop. What is this injustice? It appears our own Captain, Paul Forecki, is getting to attend a sneak peak of the the new Star Trek film. While Paul and I both battle for ultimate geek supremacy here at VOXUS, he has been invited to this private show... and I'm left feeling like Tuvok in Voyager's episode 13 of season five (oh yes I did). But alas I must let this go and focus on some real news.

According to Wired: With J.J. Abrams’ flashy new Star Trek landing in theaters this week, Apple’s iTunes Store is brimming with Trek-themed apps for iPhones and next-generation touchscreen iPods.
Here are a few of the coolest Star Trek iPhone apps, which draw from the sci-fi series four-decade run on TV and movie screens.

Star Trek Phaser: Originating at Paramount Digital Entertainment, the free Phaser app turns your phone or MP3 player into the handy weapon that the youthful Enterprise crew use in Abrams’ flick. Both a game and a simulator, the app comes packed with images and trailers for the movie’s May 7 release.

Star Trek Wisdom Quotations: A less flashy, but more inspiring, entry comes from CHS Systems. The $1 Star Trek Wisdom app offers insightful quotes from Spock and the gang (or the folks writing scripts for them, anyway).

Star Trek: Alien Spotlight: Quickly brush up on the Star Trek universe’s alien races with the Star TrekAlien Spotlight series. Released by iVerse Media, these $1 graphic novel-style apps present the background data on various Trek aliens, including the Gorn, the Andorians and those pointy-eared bastards the Vulcans.

Star Trek: Countdown: Also from iVerse comes the $1 app version of Countdown, the official comic book lead-up to the new movie. The movie prequel is only one title in an ever-growing collection of Trek comic apps.



-posted by Justin

With Mother's Day right around the corner, I have been searching high and low for a personal (yet, affordable) gift idea. I came across a couple cute options that I thought I'd share incase you might find yourself in a similar struggle during this time:

1. Mom's Personal Coffee Blend: A company called Dean's Beans allows you to make your mom her own custom blend coffee out of certified organic, fair trade and kosher whole beans. Each 1 pound bag can be packaged and labeled with a custom name. Price: $8.99 per pound of coffee.

2. Mom's Signature Wines: On a bottle of mom's favorite red, white or rose wine comes with a custom label designed just for her. Signature Wines & Beverages enables you to load pictures and create your own personalized label. Wines come from all over the country, as well as non-alcoholic sparkling wines. Price: $8.00 and up per bottle.

3. Mom's Spruce: A tree is a gift that will last long into the future and provide for generations to come - just like mom. The Arbor Day organization "Give the Gift of Trees" lets you choose either a redwood, pine or spruce for your mom, along with a custom label with a quote, saying or personal message. Price: $3.00 per tree.

4. Mom's Memory Book: Make the perfect brag book gift for mom with photos from past vacations, holidays and cherished moments through Blurb/Tiny Prints. As an added bonus, the company also offers up a line of premium recycled paper as a printing option for the eco-friendly mom. Price: $4.95 and up per book.

Here's to a truly happy Mother's Day!



-posted by Shawnna

Time.com  has compiled a list of the top ten things to buy right now - if you have the cash - for great deals. While some of the items are likely out of reach for most of us (houses, country club memberships, and even new cars), some of these are downright good ideas to get now well prices are low. If you're looking for computer memory, upgrading to four gigabytes is only $50, whereas two years ago it would've put you out 200 bucks. Or if you yearn for a new digital camera, many retailers and manufacturers are offering markdowns between 30 and 50 percent.

Personally, I think I will take advantage of the killer deals on lobster, ball gowns and home decor and throw myself a sweet dinner party.

Here is the full list of bargains:

Fancy Threads
Computer Memory
Cameras
Stuff for Your House (from bedding to HDTVs)
Lobster
New Cars
Travel
Country Club Membership
Housing
Stocks



-posted by Stephanie

You never know what you're going to find on YouTube...but one of the latest viral videos is sure to bring a smile to your face. A Dutch TV talent show looking for the next person to play "Maria" in "The Sound of Music" staged a unique promo in the Antwerp, Belgium train station.

It starts out with bemused and confused travelers...but keep watching, it gets better.

This is one of the reasons why I love YouTube. This and the fact that, when I fall asleep watching American Idol, I can usually catch some of the performances before they are knocked off the site for copyright violations.

-posted by Rachel

I'm not going to lie, I love the Snuggie. I don't actually have one, but I love the idea of the Snuggie and every time I see one - now that they have invaded the shelves of my local Target, Walgreens and Bed Bath and Beyond - I am tempted to throw down $15 and give in. And now, if I ever have children, there is yet another fleece blanket with extremely convenient holes to tempt me - I give you, the Peekaru.

Gizmodo has introduced me to this wonderous creation. It better be higher quality fleece than the Snuggie for $80, however, it is already light years ahead of its predecessor, as I see it has a zipper and actual seams [and more than a passing resemblance to the creature from Alien - Ed.].



-posted by Stephanie

Soon, very soon, hamsters will rule the world (and Richard Gere will say "I told you so."). This video: Phase One!



-posted by Justin

"What should I read next?" is a question the often stumps me going in to the local library. Luckily, this very question became the answer thanks to WhatShouldIReadNext.com. The site produces book recommendations based purely on collective taste - you enter the title and author of a book that you've enjoyed reading in the past, and the site pulls together a list of 10 recommended books that are considered similar based on mass opinion. I only spent a few minutes on the site, and already have a decent list of 'to read' books for my next library excursion.

-posted by Shawnna

If your iTunes library is a mess like mine -- missing album art, song titles, etc. -- you may want to check out a company named TuneUp Media. It claims to do a thorough scrub on your library, fixing song titles, artist names and genre. It also fills in missing cover art. How awesome is that?!  The download takes a minute. I can't wait to try this at home!

Buh-bye annoying music note placeholder image:



-posted by Lindsay

I couldn't believe my eyes last night -- Apple Co-founder Steve Wozniak is a contestant on the latest season of Dancing with the Stars.  Paired with the gorgeous Karina Smirnoff, "Woz" gave the Cha Cha Cha his all -- yet was still likened to a "...TeleTubby going mad..." Check it out for yourself.

(Yes, that's him in the pink boa...).

-posted by Lindsay

A real-time feed of people swearing on Twitter?  Radical!  Finally a Twitter application I can support. Called Cursebird it relays profane Twitter posts and even ranks the top used curse words.  It's hilarious.  Currently f*ck is the most used curse word on Twitter, followed by sh*t, b*tch, bast*rd and the dark horse of the bunch, tw*t.

Here are some of my favorite tweets:
-@getyourgeekon: your a sh*t on the sh*tter  (what does that even mean?)
-@jackfacts24: Jack Bauer doesn't watch breaking news. He breaks the f*cking news
-@theomachist: sometimes everything you need is NOT withinreach, like printerpaper, f*ck this sh*t I need somd godd*mn paper

I know what you're going to say: "what a profane blog post."  Well, kiss my *ss you c*ck sucking motherf*ckers!!



-posted by Justin

90's pop sensation and Gwen Stefani-catapult No Doubt is reuniting for a tour this summer and have introduced an interesting promotion for their ticket sales. According to a recent PC World article, fans who join No Doubt's Tour Club for $15 are offered the chance to purchase up to 4 "prime tickets" to their summer tour. For each prime ticket the club member purchases they receive a free download of the band's entire digital catalog - which adds up to something like six full albums in addition to greatest hits-type records and additional singles. Good deal! The No Doubt website mentions some restrictions - such as you probably won't get the download code until 30 days after the ticket purchase and it expires 30 days after the concert... however, when you join the Tour Club, you also get a No Doubt bumper sticker and iron-on patch, which will be perfect to go on my Jansport backpack that I use to carry my Lip Smackers, Lisa Frank folders and slap bracelets (that was an ode to other 90's kids).

-posted by Stephanie

This definitely appealed to my wacky sense of humor: a new startup, Lard Butt LLC debuted in Seattle this week.  Touted as "athletic apparel for the rest of us," Lard Butt is offering a line of clothing that celebrates folks who just can't seem to get off of the couch.  And it keeps getting better -- the company's tagline is "Get Cracking!"  So who's the genius behind this new venture?  Turns out one of the founders is Mark Peterson, formerly an exec at Marchex and now a fellow PR agency owner.




-posted by Rachel

Recently, I saw an awe-inspiring commercial for the arena spectacular "Walking with Dinosaurs," advertising tickets for the show's visit to Seattle in late April. The show is based on the award-winning BBC TV series of the same name and promises to be an experience like none other. "Walking with Dinosaurs" includes 15 life-size creatures that walk, roar, and fight each other. Ten separate dinosaur species are represented in the show, including Plateosaurus, Stegosaurus, Allosaurus and, the biggest of all, Tyrannosaurus Rex, which is a whooping 23 feet tall and 42 feet long!! Yikes! Each dinosaur requires 7 kilowatts of power from 12 truck batteries, holds 1,094 yards of cabling, and requires 24 microprocessors to control movement along with 15 hydraulic rams and 6 hydraulic motors each.

While my personal dinosaur knowledge doesn't extend much farther than a prehistoric diorama I made in the 4th grade - I am definitely going to check out this extravaganza while it's in town. I mean, the producer says "It is the closest you'll ever get to experiencing what it was like when they walked and ruled the earth." How could I miss that?



-posted by Stephanie

Oregon Trail was a hit in my day. I have fond memories playing that game for hours in school. There was so much action: hunting, infectious diseases, floods and thieves.  I have to say though, I don't know if I ever finished a game (the class bell always came too soon).  I'll go ahead and assume that if you were alive at the end, you won. As one of my favorites growing up, I was excited to hear they are releasing Oregon Trail for the iPhone. According to LA Times, the new Gameloft version doesn't exactly live up to the riveting original green on black game we all loved. However, I was happy to learn the next-gen game allows you to save your progress every five minutes. With that capability, I'm tempted to jump in a wagon and finish (barring a Typhoid outreak).



-posted by Lindsay

The Presidents of the United States of America have made an interesting move, foregoing the Apple iTunes Store and offering their entire discography for $2.99 through the App Store instead. The app, called "The Presidents' Music - PUSA" offers users access to all four of the band's full albums, including early "lost" recordings, as well as extras like direct access to the band's blog. According to an article from Ars Technica, by doing this, The Presidents are able to escape the "bureaucratic red tape of the record labels and iTunes Store" and get their music in the hands of people they might otherwise not reach if it was lost in the shuffle of iTunes. The article also details the way the app works (the music is streamed to the app from a server, so the device must be connected to a network) and notes that while this enables the band to continually update the app's content, it also allows them to pull content at any time.

While The Presidents aren't the first band to try out this model (Snow Patrol released an interactive album last year this way), they are turning a big corner by offering up their entire catalog of music for one very low fee. Wonder if other artists will follow suit?



-posted by Stephanie

Having trouble picking the right V-day card for your sweetheart?  You might not have to. According to a FierceMobileContent story, mobile messaging firm Mogreet Inc. is offering a digital alternative -- a Valentine's eCard designed for play on your loved one's phone. Senders can personalize the card by adding text.  For the holiday, users can select from a catalog of videos, including a series of eCards based on the movie Twilight. eCards are delivered by MMS or as an attachment to an SMS. The best part: you can wait 'till the very last minute since they'll never be out of stock. This is great news for the procrastinating shopper (you know who you are!) that's used to rifling through the leftover cards and sad carnation bouquets.

-posted by Lindsay

"Blow a Kiss" is a free iPhone App, created by Walmart and Hershey's, that allows you to blow kisses to your loved ones this Valentine's Day... be they near or far. Once you have downloaded "Blow a Kiss" from the Apple App Store and launched it, you simply type in your name, the recipient's name and email address and whatever message you'd like to include. Then, you romantically blow a kiss into the phone's screen - including smooching noises - and an email is sent to your honey that is bursting with pink hearts and warm fuzzy feelings.

A CNET writer did a write-up of the app after trying it out. It seems to work well, but, like he says, can't guarantee you'll get a kiss back.


(Image courtesy: http://www.blushpublishing.co.uk/images/card_lo016_2.jpg)

-posted by Stephanie

Sometimes in life, we come across random things that are priceless and not at all applicable to medium in which we work (so far, far from tech blogging). But alas, we want to share them with others simply because the level of awesomeness eclipses the utter uselessness of the content you're about to view (should you decide to follow this link). I assure you this is work safe, VOXUS would never intentionally make you, the reader, the target of workplace misconduct.

Now, without further ado....I present to you Robot Chicken's  "Le Wrath di Khan."

http://www.adultswim.com/video/?episodeID=8a2505951f130c9f011f139adc170019



-posted by Justin

With all the excitement slowly fading away now that inauguration day has passed, I came across some cool images from Popular Science (http://www.popsci.com) that show the crowds in DC from space!  That's right, some crystal clear space images of millions of heads.

http://www.popsci.com/military-aviation-amp-space/article/2009-01/inauguration-day-space




-posted by Justin

In my constant hunt for the latest tiny high-tech devices, I just came across one that was on display at CES recently. It's Nokia's BH-804 bluetooth headset and it fits in the palm of your hand at an estimated 1.6-1.7 inches long. The Street has a pretty good video demo of the device. Nokia says it's available broadly in the U.S. in Q1 of '09 for $99-$119.

Ben Stiller's character from Zoolander (yes, I'm referencing one of my favorite movies AGAIN) would be proud!



-posted by Andrew

Think there's no such thing as a free coffee? Starbucks says it will give away free tall brewed coffee between January 21-25. The catch: you have to sign a card pledging to donate five or more hours of community service. You can learn more here.

-posted by Rachel

Australia's Queensland tourism department is now accepting applications for the "best job in the world." And they aren't kidding. According to an article in BusinessWeek, the tourism department is seeking one person to live on Hamilton Island, along the Great Barrier Reef, for six months, during which the new-hire will be required to walk along the sandy beaches, snorkel, swim... basically live the hard life. Oh, but there's a catch! The employee will be required to blog about their experiences weekly, including photos and videos of things they do around the island. So, blog-aphobics need not apply... unless you can be swayed by the $100,000 (150,000 Australian dollars) paycheck that comes along with the six month "job."

This doesn't sound too shabby...

Applications are being accepted until February 22nd, and the job will begin on July 1st. If you think you could handle blogging from paradise for $100k, apply at www.islandreefjob.com

-posted by Stephanie

As a follower of celebrity gossip, I buy certain weekly magazines on occasion to catch up with what my favorite stars are up to. One magazine always has a section called "Celebrities, They're Just Like Us!" which I disdain. They include pics of celebrities being "just like us" normal folks, and include such stupid things as buying groceries, wearing hats, walking, driving, etc. Wow, after seeing a picture of a Jennifer Aniston buying a gallon of milk I do suddenly feel like she is just like me!

Right...

Anyways, I saw this article in Forbes about celebrities who choose not to (or don't know how to) use technologies most of us use on a regular (and by regular I mean constantly, all the time) basis.

For example, Vince Vaughn doesn't have a cellphone. Orlando Bloom doesn't use email or even own a computer. Paul McCartney doesn't know how to use an ATM. President Bush doesn't use email (and was famously quoted in 2006 for saying he uses "the Google" to look at maps). Simon Cowell doesn't know how to use a computer. There are many more examples and funny tidbits in the article.

I think this does teach us an important lesson.... celebrities aren't just like us... which is probably a good thing.

-posted by Stephanie

One of our clients is an avid pilot and likes to fly into Gig Harbor for meetings. I'm thinking he might be interested in this story about a Boeing 727 that's been abandoned at Hanoi's Noi Bai airport in Vietnam. It's been there since December, but no one seems to know who the aircraft belongs to nor when/if he or she plans to return for it.

Boeing might want to take note of this -- perhaps there's a new partnership opportunity for installing a LoJack device on future aircraft.

-posted by Rachel

Sinrod Marketing Group's international opinion panel just completed a survey of 75,000 adults to determine first names associated with intelligence. The winners: Abigail, Alexis, Grace, Leah, Meryl and Vanessa for women, and Alexander, David, John, Kenneth, Samuel and Tim for men. The names most associated with leadership were Ruth, Alexander, Dwight and Lance. You can see the entire results of the survey in The New Baby Name Survey Book.

The fact that none of us at VOXUS have these names kind of puts the validity of this research in dispute.

-posted by Rachel

Remember the old song by the Manhattan Transfer called "Operator," where the singers want to get Jesus on the telephone? Now there's a web startup that's gone a step further. It enables those who are swept up to heaven in the Rapture (according to Christian tradition, this is what happens before the AntiChrist's seven-year reign of terror leading up to Armageddon) to send emails to those of us sinners left behind. For only $40 per year, YouveBeenLeftBehind.com will let you send messages to up to 62 people six days after you've departed Earth, if you're one of the raptured ones. And how does this happen when, presumably, the owners of the site have also zoomed on to their just rewards? There are five gatekeepers for the website, and if three of them don't log on for six days in a row, the emails are sent. I could point out some of the potential security hazards of this, or make any number of witty comments...but I'll just point you toward the article in Wired's blog. It's a good read.

-posted by Rachel

VOXUS has long been an all-Mac shop, so I suppose it's natural that we have a number of iPhones running around the office. As the owner of one, I've always found it interesting that the ringtone used in the Apple ads is not commercially available (didn't know THAT, did you?). Well, until now, that is. LifeClever has tracked down the fact that the tone actually is available, it's just buried in the sound effects folder with iLife '08. They've even created a downloadable version for you here. And if you like that, you might also like this similar tone from Helder Luis that gets progressively louder.

[via DaringFireball]

-posted by Paul

A new Web site was brought to my attention recently -- www.taaz.com. The site allows women to upload their photos and try on new hair and makeup styles. Having seen a few sites like this before that turn women into clowns, I was skeptical, so I decided to try it out. First, the site was extremely easy to use, no tech-savvy computer skills required. Second, the site offered a ton of hair and makeup selections. The toughest part was determining what was the best look. At the close of the session, you're provided with product recommendations -- for free -- that will allow you to achieve your look in real life.

This site would be a hit at stores like Sephora and regular drug stores like Bartells and Rite Aid. For me, it would greatly slim down the amount of time I spend debating in the aisles. For cosmetic companies, I could see this "photorealistic" virtual makeover driving both sales and customer satisfaction by boosting the confidence a customer has in a product and lessening returns.

Good Luck TAAZ -- women of the world need you.

-posted by Lindsay

BBC News: Daily Caffeine Protects Brain

(via DaringFireball)

-posted by Paul

11/15/2104

At 14:52:28, FreedomFighter69 wrote:
Reporting my first temporal excursion since joining IATT: have just returned from 1936 Berlin, having taken the place of one of Leni Riefenstahl's cameramen and assassinated Adolf Hitler during the opening of the Olympic Games. Let a free world rejoice!

At 14:57:44, SilverFox316 wrote:
Back from 1936 Berlin; incapacitated FreedomFighter69 before he could pull his little stunt. Freedomfighter69, as you are a new member, please read IATT Bulletin 1147 regarding the killing of Hitler before your next excursion. Failure to do so may result in your expulsion per Bylaw 223.

At 18:06:59, BigChill wrote:
Take it easy on the kid, SilverFox316; everybody kills Hitler on their first trip. I did. It always gets fixed within a few minutes, what's the harm?

(via Kottke)

-posted by Paul

So I'm fascinated by flash mobs, impromptu and seemingly random events that are often so over-the-top that they're funny enough for YouTube. A flash mob pillow fight is scheduled for Pike Place Market on Saturday, March 29 at 3:15 p.m. Details can be found here. Apparently, this is being sponsored by the Seattle Pillow Fight Club, proving that yes, indeedy, there is a hobby for everyone.

-posted by Rachel

Attention, ladies: according to this month's Cosmopolitan, the Number One new hot spot for meeting single men is...the Apple store nearest you. Find an outlet -- and maybe true love -- here.

-posted by Rachel

Just discovered a new mobile service that helps identify songs based on user voice, hum or whistle. Yes, that's right, you sing into your phone and the service will return possible matches. The service, brought to my attention by FierceMobileContent, is now available for Symbian OS S60 devices, with additional support to come. Check them out at www.melodis.com...

-posted by Lindsay

Mobile Phones Take Center Stage

I had the privilege last year to attend 3 GSM (now the Mobile World Congress) in Barcelona.  Despite the crazy hours, I was able to soak in a show with all of the glitz and glamour of a Hollywood premiere.  Only, the stars of this show are the latest and greatest cell phones and all of the cool applications that support them.



This year, I didn't head out to Barcelona (even though we had a number of clients who did).  So... I've been reading up on the show-stoppers there this year.  Seems the hint of a global recession has put a damper on the show despite the record number of attendees.  Regardless of the atmosphere, there's been a ton of hardware unveiled including Sony's first-time venture with Windows Mobile and the coming out for Google's Android, a free mobile  platform.

If you want to read up on this year's happenings, The Industry Standard put together a nice summary article.

Missing Barcelona and the tapas...

-posted by Andrew

So it's well-known that VOXUS is a dog-friendly office. Maybe that's why I hadn't heard about I Can Has Cheezburger until John Cook of the Seattle P-I wrote about it in his blog. This bizarre Seattle startup gives cat lovers a place to upload their photos with captions that, frankly, make me laugh and scratch my head. What's even weirder is that John reports that the angel investor-backed company is profitable! You gotta wonder...

-posted by Rachel

Finding good local restaurants in Seattle is an easy task thanks to a number of new dining review Web sites, like Ultraspoon and BooRah. On the other hand, sites that can direct you to the nearest, cleanest toilet, are few and far between. A new company named MizPee is hoping to change that. Brought to our attention by Paul Rasmussen at FierceWireless Europe, MizPee allows guests to rate local restrooms and access this critical data via the Web and mobile. Like traditional star ratings, the more toilet paper rolls the better...

There are already 18 facilities included on MizPee in the Seattle area and many with good ratings. To find an acceptable toilet near you, visit: MizPee.

-posted by Lindsay

If you are look for some last minutes ideas on where to take that special someone for Valentine's Day, Network World has a new slide show up that lists the 10 best places to take a techie on a date. Grabbing the coveted number one slot is San Francisco's Exploratorium, a so-called "playground for the techie in us all," NWW even mentions that if you can't make it to the real location, you and your date's avatars can visit the Second Life version... so romantic. Also making the top ten are Cambridge's MIT Museum, Universal Studios Hollywood, and Seattle's very own Experience Music Project, which comes in at #7.

-posted by Stephanie

This one makes me laugh...Boost Mobile wants to help its "single and looking" subscribers find love this Valentine's Day. Now through February 14 users have access to a mobile social networking site called Crush or Flush for $.69/day. With the service, subscribers can find, rate and meet people within the Boost network. Seems pretty easy if you don't mind the risk of being "flushed." According to a Wireless Week article, more than 30,000 have already signed up...

-posted by Lindsay

Streaming-capable phone? Check. 3G network? Check. As reported in Wireless Week, YouTube has announced that tens of millions of videos will be available to an estimated 100 million+ devices. Previously limited to specific devices and operators like AT&T's Apple iPhone, YouTube is opening up access to mobile users everywhere using 3G and streaming-capable phones. The new expansion is poised to drive mobile video uptake by providing mobile users with access to a vast library of videos and allowing users to access account info and post comments via m.youtube.com and youtube.com.

-posted by Lindsay

'Tis the season for weirdly fascinating stories...take the Word Of The Year Contest or WOTY. I had no idea that Merriam-Webster sponsors the contest annually. This year's winner is w00t (pronounced "whoot" and spelled with two zeros), an exclamation of joy used primarily by gamers. One of the runners up is Facebook, which the dictionary defines as a verb. Not such good news for the Facebook folks, I'd think -- looked what happened to Kimberly-Clark's Kleenex brand. Once it became a household word and stood for any type of facial tissue, it became extremely hard to protect the trademark in court. Today, the company spends mucho money defending its property rights.

-posted by Rachel

For all of you gadget heads who didn't rush out and buy the new iPhone, Sprint is launching its BlackBerry Pearl on Black Friday (November 23), according to Gizmodo.

-posted by Rachel

Some of the VOXUS crew had a chance to participate last night in a midnight promo for Amazon, Microsoft and the huge launch of Halo 3. The setup: our friend and former co-worker Kevin Pedraja of Sterling Communications was selected for hand delivery of the new third edition of the hit Halo game for Xbox 360 as part of an Amazon launch campaign. The kicker: Halo's own Master Chief made the delivery. The Associated Press covered the event (pics not posted yet). Check the video below for more. Music by Edgen.

Halo Unbox

-posted by Paul

While I am still waiting for someone to invent the flying car that I was promised in the '60s, it looks like rayguns are coming every closer to delivery.

Off-the-shelf combinable fibre laser amplifiers are currently limited to 200 watts each, according to DARPA: and it wants to push this up to 1kW to start with, then to 3KW in the next phase. That would mean a Raytheon/Sandia style bundle would scale up to 100kW or even 300kW, well into the proper-deathray range. The DARPA chaps, though - perhaps upset by people calling them mad scientists - try to avoid talking about blaster guns too much.

I can't wait, although if we're having trouble as a society figuring out how to regulate a .22 cal pistol, I'd hate to see what happens if we ever get blasters that can vaporize a building.

-posted by Paul

The Ergo Bike Premium 8i has finally arrived. Germany's Daum Electronics has started to ship to the U.S. - 20 have come so far - the most high tech and interactive stationary exercise bike ever. The Ergo Bike allows riders to virtually compete with other riders around the world, via an internet connection, webcam, VOIP-enabled headsets, and brute strength. Groups choose a time and a course and go head-to-head in hardcore competition, with some courses comparable to Ironman Triathlon segments. The onboard computer also keeps track of each riders vital statistics (speed, pulse, distance, etc.) and has tons of other built in features. This fancy workout is priced at $3,500.

Article from CNET.

-posted by Stephanie

When I heard Nick Lachey (singer, reality star and Jessica Simpson's ex) was coming to Tacoma the other weekend, I couldn't resist hatching a plan to get my photos and experience posted on perezhilton.com, a celebrity gossip blog that gets more than a million hits per day. My task was fairly simple: get good photos, draft a compelling story and send to Mario Lavandeira (aka Perez Hilton) in a timely manner. With my mission laid out, I thought in advance about potential subject lines, strategized about what pictures would be most valuable and prayed that it was going to be a slow Hollywood news weekend.

Despite a busy weekend of celebrity gossip and disaster, my story made it onto perezhilton.com in less than 48 hours. To date, more than 170 comments have been posted. While I somewhat expected to get my story posted via Perez, I did not know that this experience was going to go full circle. By that I mean, I did not anticipate hearing about my blog success on a local radio station twice -- once WHILE Nick Lachey was a phone guest.

Below is a timeline of my incredibly exciting blogging adventure:

Friday, August 24
8:00 PM: Charged camera batteries

Saturday, August 25
10:30 AM: Arrived at Richard Karn Celebrity Softball game at Cheney Stadium in Tacoma, WA
10:35 AM - 12:30 PM: Snapped photos of Nick Lachey and surrounding celebrities, including his girlfriend Vanessa Minnillo
12:45 PM: Met Nick Lachey, received autographed picture
11:40 PM: Sent 3 color photos of Nick Lachey and quick write-up of experience to famed gossip blogger Perez Hilton

Sunday, August 26
9:00 AM - 4:00 PM PT: Checked perezhilton.com incessantly
7:55 PM PT: Received a "thank you" note from Perez himself!

Monday, August 27
11:28 AM PT: Perez posts my three photos and an excerpt from my email in his blog entitled, "They're On the C-List Now"
11:29 AM PT: Started bragging about my success to friends, family and co-workers

Tuesday, August 28
7:32 AM PT: Seattle radio hosts Jackie and Bender of Kiss 106.1 discuss the celebrity softball game and mention photos of the event made it to the infamous perezhilton.com
8:37 AM PT: Jackie and Bender speak to Nick Lachey via telephone about the charity softball game and briefly chat about Perez' coverage of the event

-posted by Lindsay

Ever catch yourself dreaming up a new gizmo and praying it will come to market some day? Maybe I've been living under a rock, but Engadget just brought the Sony Reader to my attention (...a concept I thought I had invented some time ago...). The Reader is the size of a paperback book, carries around 80 full-length titles and provides enough battery power for 7,500 page turns. The display looks like old fashioned ink on paper and the text size adjustable. While you can't make calls from it, the Sony Reader does allows users to upload your favorite photos for sharing.

-posted by Lindsay

It's Monday, so in keeping with the intense need for coffee I think it's time to announce our website du jour. Check out the Oracle of Starbucks – it can accurately predict your personality type based on your favorite Starbucks drink. Awesome.

-posted by Rachel

Sprung from The Music Genome Project which assembled literally hundreds of musical attributes or "genes" into a very large Music Genome. Together these genes capture the unique and magical musical identity of a song - everything from melody, harmony and rhythm, to instrumentation, orchestration, arrangement, lyrics, and of course the rich world of singing and vocal harmony. It's not about what a band looks like, or what genre they supposedly belong to, or about who buys their records - it's about what each individual song sounds like.
Check it out!

-posted by Shawnna

Mattel, the maker of Barbie, is preparing one of its biggest updates of the toy's image; this summer, it will start selling plastic "Barbie Girls," a handheld MP3 player that can be accessorized like a doll and used to unlock special animations, make friends and shop in a virtual world on the Web. The toy is likely to test Mattel's ability to stay relevant in a Digital Age that has changed the way little girls play and socialize.
Read on...

-posted by Shawnna

It was recently announced that Konami Corp. has created a "Dream Skincare" game for the Nintendo DS handheld. The "game" allows players to enter in their body temperature and weight into a graph and answer questions about their skin quality. The result: advice on how to keep skin healthy, including diet and other helpful hints. The game game also includes videos of Chizu Saeki, a Japanese beauty expert, demonstrating facial massages and skin maintenance. "Dream Skincare" is set to go on sale in Japan in October for $37.

-posted by Stephanie

A weirdly useful technology recently debuted with PhoneMyPhone. If you need to find your cell phone, or better yet, fake a reason to escape the office, PhoneMyPhone will call any number entered into its website -- for free. You can schedule a call time, which allows you to use the service as an alarm clock of sorts, or just implement it immediately. Due to pranksters, calls are blocked in the dead of night, though, so tough luck for any swing-shifters out there. This is just one of a number of websites in development by David Parkinson at KeenScreen.

-posted by Rachel

Friday fun... Five Flickr sets that aren't driving the long-term traffic you'd hoped for... (via Kottke)

-posted by Paul

A new GPS-enabled cell phone/dog collar from Pets Mobility has hit the market that will allow owners to locate lost pets and talk (yes, talk) to them or the kind stranger that finds them through a two-way cell phone. The new technology, featured in Wired, is just one of the latest digital doggie products aimed to improve a pet owner's life.

-posted by Lindsay

A little Friday humor before the long weekend...

-posted by Paul

Enough already!!! Did you hear, iPhone can cure cancer, heat your home and serve as a mediator for the middle eastern peace process. Okay, not really, but the media machine sure has hyped this little device. Maybe it's warranted. Perhaps it is the first seed of a new generation of mobile devices -- at least that's what the analyst community is claiming. Hell, after watching the demo and reading all the reviews, I'm ready to go buy one. Apple has done a great job of convincing the entire industry to drink the koolaid. Since its debut at CES, it's all my boss can talk about. Every day a new feature is unveiled and every day we talk about it. Don't get me wrong, it's fantastic when technology sparks true intrigue and giddiness. I wish I could have been a fly on the wall when cell phone service providers went through the bidding process for exclusive phone rights. For Cingular, or is it AT&T, this should help cover up the fact that their coverage area sucks and their network constantly drops call. With analysts predicting sales in excess of 1.6 billion in the first year, we'll soon see this phone everywhere. I can see it now, people praising the phone, and cursing the provider.

-posted by Justin

Here's something that's sure to brighten the day of our VOXUS associates who are wild about shoes. Amazon.com has just established Endless.com, its new shoe and handbag site with 250 brands and 15,000 styles and colors.

-posted by Rachel

Brett Marl at Pure Networks posted an interesting blog entry on the next generation of wireless routers now in development. The current standard of 802.11g carries speeds of up to 54 mbps, but that's not enough for moving huge files around your home, such as high definition video. The next iteration is 802.11n, which promises speeds of up to 600 mbps -- and, according to Brett, the IEEE governing standards committee expects to complete the guidelines by 2008.

-posted by Rachel

I was really excited when I finally reached the end of my 4 year contract with Cingular (and yes, in that time, I could have done another tour of college duty). So excited that I jetted over to Verizon to switch plans and get a new phone. I won't bore you with the details of why I despise Cingular....well, okay, maybe one or two for old times sake. I'm still disgusted over the AT&T/Cingular merger - if you were with AT&T, you basically got screwed and treated like dirt (i.e., migration costs, no rebates, etc.). Billing, billing, billing! My God, how many times can you mess up a bill. I was over charged five straight months to the tune of more than $300. Deep breaths. BUT, everything's gonna be okay now that I have "the Q" right? Ahh, I'm not so sure.

Likes: So I have to say, the phone is sleek, light and perfect for the pocket. The screen is clear, colors vibrant, sound is fantastic. Camera's great, video is great, MP3 player is great. Love the key board, love the sound quality and the speaker phone. Like the home interface with Windows Mobile.

Loath: The key lock function is wack. Once you lock the key board, the phone automatically shuts down after an hour or so. Volume!!! Apparently, you can only increase the volume while having a conversation...what's up with that. Sync with computer....unless you have a MAC. I was told I could download third party software, but have yet to locate it and have read some posts claiming the software is very buggy. Overall, the applications and features are just not granular enough.

I may need to jet back to the store and reinvest in a trusty Treo or RAZR.

-posted by Justin

The "random sparkly things" that always catch my attention are unusual company names. We wrote about HyperBoy last month, the stealth-mode company that is establishing another type of social networking site...and now we're adding the news that, if you're interested in being a beta-tester for the product, you can sign up.

-posted by Rachel

"It’s like a three- or four-minute-long concentrated, faster-cut, and more sarcastic version of The Daily Show." I'm making it my personal mission to drive traffic for this guy. Be sure to check out the archives. (Thanks to Daring Fireball for the link.)

-posted by Paul

We had to cover this one: Portland-based Imbibe Media just launched the premiere issue of Imbibe, "the first-of-its-kind, national consumer magazine dedicated to the entire spectrum of drinks... deserving in-depth exploration of the people, places, flavors and trends surrounding the fascinating world of beverages." Sign me up!

-posted by Paul

Here's an interesting breakdown of the world's top city skylines based on subjective analysis of esthetics, height, density, etc. Why do I post this here? Seattle is #15.

-posted by Paul

Okay, a little random Friday fun. Thanks to the guest bloggers at Kottke for the link...

-posted by Paul